More jobs to reduce Moz poverty

from I Africa

Creation of more job posts in urban and rural areas of Mozambique will help reduce poverty levels, a United Nations' country representative said on Thursday.

Speaking at a poverty alleviation seminar in Maputo, Ndolamby Ngokwey said instruments used in the fight against poverty were limited while resources were little.

"We have agreed that poverty alleviation will be achieved through the creation of more job posts, as a way of increasing buying power of people in order for them to have decent lives, good health and education," Ngokwey said.

The seminar was part of the government's ongoing consultative forums under its Poverty Reduction Programmes which are now in their fourth phase.

Under the programmes the government implements development programmes in consultation with civil society.

International donors and these projects are aimed at reducing poverty indices and for the country to achieve the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Bottom list of poor countries

Mozambique is ranked on the bottom list of poor countries on the United Nation's Human Development Index and the organisation estimates that more than half of Mozambique's 20 million people live on less than one US dollar a day.

Ngokwey said there was need for more investment in the agricultural sector throughout the country with more focus on the development of rural areas.

He said the government needed to simplify procedures which were followed in setting up businesses by the private sector as a way of encouraging investment.

"The international co-operation partners are interested in providing assistance to the Mozambican government in carrying out these aspects, including facilitating the establishment of small and medium scale businesses."

Speaking at the same seminar, Silvester Baessa, representative of the civil society group G20, said that while there was significant economic growth the gains made could be overshadowed by increased poverty levels.

"The increase in the cost of living and the absence of effective mechanisms to contain the escalation increase in prices of basic commodities will result in citizens not trusting the effectiveness of the government's poverty alleviation programmes," Baessa said.

While the increase in prices of most products were driven by the increase in the price of fuel, the government should look at alternatives such as gas operated vehicles, he said.